Hwt. Crew edged by Harvard; does not get Adams Cup

In the midst of a stiff crosswind last Saturday, the Penn heavyweight crew team fell short of bringing home the Adams Cup by less than two seconds on Boston's Charles River. Crossing the finish line with a time of 6:07.6, the varsity Quakers came in second to Harvard's 6:05.9. Navy finished a distant third at 6:29.0. "Harvard got a three-quarter length lead within the first 500 meters and then we made a push to close within a quarter length," Penn captain Keith Sutter said. "They took a couple of seats and we closed again in the sprint but we came up short." The Red and Blue battled the Crimson as well as strong crosswinds from start to finish. "It was a strong race and we never gave up," Sutter said. "As soon as they backed off or even settled we would take a seat or two. We will get faster." With the Eastern Sprints next on the spring schedule, the Quakers are looking to build off this race as they look ahead to the Ivy League showdown. "It's tough to come up short by a few seconds when you know the ability is there," Penn varsity rower Mike Parker said. "Racing requires a totally different mindset than any other practice can prepare you for, and the only way to perfect that is to race." Now, Penn will try and bring together all the necessary components needed to achieve victory. "As difficult as it is to lose, it's important to turn a negative into a positive and use it to drive us forward," Parker said. "We've got two more weeks to fine-tune an eight-month project, and I know we're capable of turning a few heads come Sprints." Penn's second varsity managed to edge out Harvard with a time of 6:21.5. This bested the Crimson's 6:24.6 and the Midshipmen's 6:34.0. "The conditions were rough but we were able to stay relaxed and gradually pull away throughout the race," Penn junior Joel Frankel said. "Winning our last dual meet before Eastern Sprints was very important," Frankel added. "We know we have a lot of speed but we still have to get faster if we want to be standing on the medals dock at Sprints." The Red and Blue's third varsity boat also won, clocking in at 6:34.2. Harvard finished second at 6:35.8 and Navy rounded out the field at 6:36. The Quakers' next race will be Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Mass., on May 13, when this year's Ivy League champion will be determined.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.